Bell Q3 service revenue climbs 5.9%; LTE coverage reaches 99%

Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE) reports that its total revenue grew 5.0% year-on-year in Q3 2017 to CAD5.678 billion (USD4.425 billion), whilst underlying service revenue climbed 5.9%. Adjusted EBITDA was up 5.9% in three months ended 30 September 2017, yielding an improved EBITDA margin of 41.7%, on continued strong wireless growth, improved wireline subscriber results, and synergies from the recent takeover of Manitoba Telecom Services (MTS, now integrated into new division Bell MTS). Total wireless post-paid, internet and IPTV net subscriber additions came to 198,005 in the third quarter, up 8.3% from the same period of 2016, including 9.2% higher post-paid net additions of 117,182, and 6.9% higher internet/IPTV customer additions of 80,823, driven by Bell's expanding fibre broadband footprint. Consolidated net income increased 2.1% y-o-y to CAD817 million in July-September 2017; net earnings attributable to common shareholders rose 2.4% to CAD770 million.

BCE's CEO George Cope commented: 'The rapid pace of Bell's broadband 'Fibe' and mobile LTE-A network deployments and service innovation supported a record number of Q3 post-paid wireless gross activations and our best Q3 post-paid net additions since 2012, as well as our first quarter of year-over-year combined Internet and IPTV customer increases since Q1 2015 – including net positive growth in our overall national TV business.' Bell's LTE coverage reached 99% of the Canadian population in Q3, and 86% of its post-paid mobile customers were using the LTE network by end-September 2017.